Lockdown

2000-2004, Gelatin Silver Prints, spoken word audio, all prints 24 x 20 inches.

One of the defining features of America today is the criminal justice system and the many youths whose lives are impacted by it. Lockdown is a photography and interview project that tells the story of a society that imprisons over 2 million people from the viewpoint of those locked down. I work with inmates — photographing them and hearing their stories. The project is presented as a series of 20″ x 24″ black and white photographs accompanied by carefully edited audio from the interviews.  A sample of the audio is at the bottom of the page. Below is a sample excerpted from the audio narratives which are 2–6 minutes in length.

“The difference between me and the President is that I’m forced, and other people like me are forced, to commit crimes. The crimes he commit, he commit ’em for luxury, pleasure and things of that nature…That’s why he commit crimes. But his crimes don’t go punished. Mine do. Because I have no power. I have no economics. I have no what they call influence on society…”

Lockdown Audio excerpt